Welcome

I wrote White Squirrels and other monsters because an elderly, cantankerous man and his great nephew pitched camp in my mind and would not leave.  Uncle Woody's family stories  take on special meaning, for he and his nephew  are the last two members of  a clan of Pattersons.  In battling a white squirrel (Moby), the two men are drawn closer together  until, at last, they  form a  caring family.

My second novel,  Ring the Bell,  follows a company of firefighters for one day on the job.  As a retired fire chief, I drew upon my experiences  with the  types of incidents firefighters respond to, and in particular, how they work as a team to accomplish their mission.  I also  provided  insight into the  dynamics  of station life, as well as each crew member's  life outside the department. Finally, we find out about what is happening  with the civilians who need help, pre, during, and post incident.  A note:  I wrote  the first draft in 30 days as  a NaNoWrimo project (National Novel Writing Month). It is a great way for a  beginning writer to learn discipline.

Canelands is number  three. On the news one evening, I saw a young Guatemalan girl crying  hysterically. The child was in a chain-link fence enclosure at the southern border. She had been deliberately separated from her mother. I was angered and upset seeing such an innocent suffering. The outlines of Canelands soon came to mind as a way to bring attention to her cruel and unnecessary treatment. A country preacher is called by God to go to the southern border and pray for the children. The novel is in many ways  a compilation of love stories:  parents and children; spouses,; young love;  God's love for his children.

Feedback from readers is vitally important. Several friends and relatives looked over my first draft with all my novels. Their comments helped greatly. I am also fortunate to  be in a local writer's group (SKY Writers). These friends each write in a different genre, yet they all work with a common goal in mind: trying to tell the best story possible.  In that vein, I am curious to hear what you liked and what you didn't, what moved you and what you thought was frivolous.  NOTE:  A great way to help a writer is to post  a short review.  This can be done in a  few moments on Amazon or Goodreads.